The Elephants of Laikipia and the Ewaso Nyiro River

North of Mount Kenya, the open plateau of Laikipia and the dry country of Samburu beyond it hold one of the largest elephant populations in Kenya. These herds do not live inside a single park. They move across a patchwork of ranches, conservancies, forests and farmland, and their lives are shaped by one river, the Ewaso Nyiro, and by the routes that link them to the mountain.

One of Kenya’s great elephant populations

The Laikipia and Samburu region has long been home to the country’s second-largest elephant population. A Kenya Wildlife Service aerial census in 2008 counted 7,468 elephants across Laikipia and Samburu, up from the previous count.

More recent estimates from the conservation group Space for Giants put Laikipia County alone at about 7,475 elephants.

The Ewaso Nyiro: a river through dry country

The Ewaso Nyiro (also spelled Ewaso Ng’iro) is the lifeline of this landscape. It begins near Nanyuki, where streams from Mount Kenya and the Aberdares meet, then flows north through Laikipia and into Samburu and Isiolo. Along the way it passes Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba national reserves before spreading out into the Lorian Swamp.

In a dry region, permanent water shapes where animals go. Elephants, like most wildlife here, are drawn to the river and its green fringes, especially when the land around it is parched.

The corridor to Mount Kenya

Laikipia’s elephants also have a connection to the mountain. Collar data from a bull called Mountain Bull, tracked by Save the Elephants from 2006, showed him crossing between Borana and the Imenti Forest on Mount Kenya more than 40 times. His movements, with other tracking data, helped plan a 28-kilometre corridor linking Mount Kenya to the conservancies to the north.

The corridor includes an underpass beneath the busy Nanyuki to Meru road, completed in late 2010 by a partnership including Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Mount Kenya Trust. An elephant named Tony became the first to use it on 1 January 2011, and hundreds of elephants have been seen using the corridor since.

Living alongside elephants

Sharing land with elephants is not always easy. In Laikipia, human-elephant conflict has historically been among the worst in East Africa, with smallholder farms in West Laikipia facing night-time crop raiding, mostly by bulls. Corridors like the Mount Kenya underpass are one answer: they give herds a safer route across a busy landscape and reduce the chance of conflict on the way.

Seeing elephants responsibly

• Let them come to you. Elephants are most relaxed when they can move freely. Give herds space, especially family groups with young calves.
• Read the signals. Ears spread wide, a raised head or a sudden stop are signs an elephant is uneasy. That is the moment to back away calmly.
• Never block a path. Elephants follow established routes to water and food. Staying out of the way keeps them calm and you safe.

Elephants at Ewaso

Ewaso Elephant Crossing is a photo hide camp in the Ewaso Enclave Conservancy in Laikipia. You can read more on our Elephants page and see elephants photographed in Laikipia in our Gallery.

Questions about Laikipia’s elephants

How many elephants live in Laikipia?

Space for Giants estimates that Laikipia County is home to about 7,475 elephants. Together with Samburu, the region holds Kenya’s second-largest elephant population.

Where does the Ewaso Nyiro river start?

It begins near Nanyuki, where streams from Mount Kenya and the Aberdares meet, then flows north through Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo towards the Lorian Swamp.

Do elephants travel between Mount Kenya and Laikipia?

Yes. Tracking collars have shown elephants moving between the forests of Mount Kenya and the ranches and conservancies to the north, which led to the creation of the Mount Kenya elephant corridor.

What is the Mount Kenya elephant corridor?

A 28-kilometre wildlife corridor linking Mount Kenya with conservancies to the north, including an underpass beneath the Nanyuki to Meru road that was completed in late 2010.

Why is human-elephant conflict a problem in Laikipia?

Elephants and people share much of the same land. In West Laikipia, small farms sit close to elephant range, and crop raiding at night, mostly by bulls, has made conflict one of the main conservation challenges in the county.

Header photo: Elephant family, Laikipia. Photo: Ernesto, 2026.